Shoulder-fired assault weapons are well known in the field. The earlier models stem from anti-armor weapons developed during World War II. Since that time, the weapon has evolved into a multi-purpose assault weapon suitable for a variety of targets. These targets include not only armored vehicles, but fixed structures and other types of vehicles. The challenge has been to provide a weapon with multiple capabilities suitable for both armored vehicles and lightweight structures such as light aircraft or helicopters. The weapon should also be effective against heavily reinforced bunkers and lighter weight structures. It has not been generally suitable to use a penetrating shaped charge against a lightweight structure as the round will completely pass through, typically exploding far beyond the structure. On tests with a helicopter, for example, a penetrating round punched small entry and exit holes and thereafter exploded 40 to 50 feet beyond the target, leaving the helicopter relatively undamaged. Similarly, a non-penetrating round is also unsuited for general purpose use. For example, a non-penetrating high explosive round has little effect on a hardened vehicle or structure.
Typical solutions to the problem of differing target hardness have resulted in a variety of types of warheads in a variety of calibers. The variety of warhead types greatly increases the number of weapons required to be carried and the logistics problems associated therewith and reduces the effectiveness of any particular fireteam in the field, since the fireteam can then only deal with limited types of targets. Additionally, spotting rounds must be matched to the ballistics of a particular warhead.
The current state-of-the-art weapon comprises a rocket launcher assembly with a spotting rifle attached to the right side of the launcher tube. There are numerous deficiencies with the current design. The right-side mounted spotting rifle is difficult to load and particularly difficult to re-load as the entire assembly is located away from the gunner on the opposite side of the rocket launcher. Further, the weapon lacks good balance resulting in unwieldy handling. The sighting of the spotting rifle is time consuming and not adaptable to changes in rounds under combat conditions. Further, the operation of the spotting rifle by cocking the bolt, reloading, clearing jams and other routine operations, typically requires an assistant gunner. Finally, the weapon is heavier because of a duplication of firing mechanisms, trigger linkages, hammers, etc., and the weapon has no "clean" side so that it can be placed on the ground (the current weapon having a scope on the left side and the spotting rifle on the right side).
What is needed is a lighter weight weapon adaptable to different rounds which can be handled by a single gunner, that is, operated from only one side of the weapon, such as the left side. Additionally, dual-function mechanisms to operate both the spotting rifle and the rocket launcher are needed to reduce weight and improve reliability.